Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Winmalee

For one person, living is cheaper in Winmalee: $2,537 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Winmalee
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Winmalee Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Winmalee

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,537

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Winmalee

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Melbourne and in Winmalee actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,849 in Melbourne versus $2,537 in Winmalee.

Melbourne $2,849
Winmalee $2,537

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,274 in Melbourne versus $3,702 in Winmalee.

Melbourne $4,274
Winmalee $3,702

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,699 in Melbourne versus $4,867 in Winmalee.

Melbourne $5,699
Winmalee $4,867

Living in Melbourne is roughly 12% more expensive than in Winmalee, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 109% above, Winmalee 86% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.86

$21.27 A$30.22

-17.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 A$120

$89.1 A$127

-5.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 A$17.29

$10.50 A$14.92

15.90%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.79

$3.99 A$5.67

2.01%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 A$4.52

$3.03 A$4.31

4.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.55

$2.54 A$3.61

-1.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 A$13.60

$8.47 A$12.03

12.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.72

$9.69 A$13.77

-14.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.14

$1.48 A$2.10

1.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.22

$3.22 A$4.58

-7.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.81

$2.62 A$3.73

2.29%

Eggs

$5.45 A$7.75

$5.22 A$7.42

4.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 A$15.22

$12.84 A$18.25

-16.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 A$14.28

$9.69 A$13.77

3.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 A$21.31

$15.46 A$21.97

-2.98%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.78

$3.90 A$5.54

4.36%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.46

$3.15 A$4.47

-0.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.43

$3.58 A$5.08

-12.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 A$6.72

$5.16 A$7.33

-8.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.23

$3.11 A$4.42

-4.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.55

$2.82 A$4.00

-11.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.53

$2.47 A$3.51

0.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 A$2.27

$1.33 A$1.89

20.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.65 A$63.4

$44.13 A$62.7

1.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.02

$13.75 A$19.54

-7.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.55 A$7.88

$4.60 A$6.53

20.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 A$7.37

$5.67 A$8.06

-8.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.45

$2.37 A$3.37

62.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$197

$74.2 A$105

86.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 A$6.19

$4.03 A$5.73

8.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 A$1.94

$1.65 A$2.35

-16.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 A$42.23

$43.22 A$61.4

-31.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.11

$1.32 A$1.88

12.88%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$29.1K A$41.3K

$28.2K A$40.0K

3.33%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$25.7K A$36.5K

$26.3K A$37.4K

-2.55%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$236 A$335

$181 A$257

30.52%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$28.01 A$39.80

$26.56 A$37.73

5.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 A$81.3

$56.9 A$80.9

0.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.39 A$68.8

$52.1 A$74.1

-7.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.46 A$30.50

$16.21 A$23.04

32.39%

Cinema Ticket

$17.67 A$25.10

$16.09 A$22.86

9.82%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$2,461 A$3,497

$2,433 A$3,457

1.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.2K

$20.2K A$28.7K

47.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 A$115

$76.1 A$108

6.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.28 A$70.0

$57.4 A$81.6

-14.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$170

$106 A$151

12.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$186

$134 A$191

-2.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 A$2,419

$1,350 A$1,918

26.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$2,002

$1,198 A$1,702

17.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,496 A$4,967

$2,268 A$3,223

54.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 A$3,590

$1,807 A$2,567

39.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,978 A$11.3K

$6,571 A$9,336

21.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,900 A$9,805

$5,039 A$7,160

36.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,049

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.95

-0.84%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Last update for Winmalee: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4%

Winmalee

$1.2K 47.2% 15% $211

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$386 13.6%

Winmalee

$393 15.5% 1.7% $6.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$321 11.3%

Winmalee

$264 10.4% 17.7% $57

Eating Out

Melbourne

$312 11%

Winmalee

$334 13.2% 6.7% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Winmalee

$168 6.6% 1.8% $3

Getting Around

Melbourne

$165 5.8%

Winmalee

$96 3.8% 41.9% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$84 2.9%

Winmalee

$84 3.3% 0.7% $0.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,703 in Melbourne and $1,350 in Winmalee. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $84 in Melbourne vs $89 in Winmalee for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $386 vs $393 per month, with Melbourne cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Winmalee

🕒 Local time

07:48 7:48 AM

Same time as Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

6,057

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Winmalee 690 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Winmalee

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Melbourne vs Winmalee: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,849 in Melbourne and $2,537 in Winmalee, so Winmalee is about 11% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $4,273 in Melbourne and $3,805 in Winmalee to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,703 in Melbourne versus $1,350 in Winmalee. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Winmalee runs roughly 47% less than in Melbourne. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $2,849 per month in Melbourne versus $2,537 in Winmalee – Winmalee is about 11% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Winmalee is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Melbourne and Winmalee are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.